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Scotland’s education secretary has reassured the public that there is no danger following a new surge of hoax bomb threats targeting schools throughout the country. These false alerts arrived less than a month after a similar wave of threats had been reported. Despite over 1,000 schools receiving these emails, authorities and the government stated that there was no evidence suggesting any genuine threat to safety.
Mairi McAllan, speaking in parliament, emphasized that the situation was under control. She mentioned that specialized cyber-crime investigators are actively tracing the origins of these emails, which affected both primary and secondary educational institutions. Comparable fake threats have also been sent to schools in Northern Ireland and Italy, with hundreds of institutions targeted in each region. McAllan confirmed that she had convened a meeting with police officials and local authorities to address the issue.
Acknowledging the concerns of parents, students, and school staff, McAllan stated, “As a parent and as a constituency MSP I understand just how concerning this will be for parents, for pupils, for carers and for school staff.” She reiterated Police Scotland’s advice that there is no indication of any public risk from these emails. She further noted the significant efforts underway by Police Scotland and other UK partners to investigate the motives and individuals responsible.
A Police Scotland spokesperson confirmed that the emails were quickly identified as hoaxes. They acknowledged the distress such messages can cause within school communities but stressed that there was no need to evacuate schools or keep children away based solely on the emails’ content. Most local authorities reported that schools were continuing to operate normally, although some took precautionary measures and evacuated pupils. For example, the majority of schools in Dumfries and Galloway received the emails, prompting some evacuations as a safety measure, and police attended certain schools to offer reassurance. In Edinburgh, Queensferry High School was evacuated and students were sent home, while schools in Highland activated their emergency protocols. Other regions including Glasgow, East Lothian, Aberdeenshire, and Orkney also confirmed receiving the emails.
In Northern Ireland, the Education Authority noted similarities between this incident and a hoax threat from the previous month, which was also declared a prank by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). The PSNI stated that the email had originated from outside the UK. Meanwhile, reports from Italy indicated that 280 school headteachers had been targeted by similar threats. The Italian Prime Minister has responded by convening a meeting with senior ministers and intelligence officials to address the situation
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